How do I find solar contractors in a specific ZIP code?

Use the `search_contractors` tool and provide the ZIP code in the `geo_id` parameter and 'solar' in the `work_type` parameter. Your agent will return a list of matching professionals.

Can I see permit activity for a whole city?

Yes! Use the `get_permit_stats` tool with the city name or City/State combination in the `geo_id` parameter to retrieve aggregated construction data for that area.

How do I verify if a contractor has a valid license?

You can use the `get_contractor_by_license` tool with their state business license ID. The returned profile will include their current licensing status and specialty data.

Shovels MCP Server for Pydantic AI 7 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

ai.pydantic.dev/mcp

Built by Vinkius GDPR 7 Tools SDK

Pydantic AI brings type-safe agent development to Python with first-class MCP support. Connect Shovels through Vinkius and every tool is automatically validated against Pydantic schemas. catch errors at build time, not in production.

Get MCP Server for AI Agents

ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER

Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude Open in Perplexity

Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

python

import asyncio
from pydantic_ai import Agent
from pydantic_ai.mcp import MCPServerHTTP

async def main():
    # Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
    server = MCPServerHTTP(url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp")

    agent = Agent(
        model="openai:gpt-4o",
        mcp_servers=[server],
        system_prompt=(
            "You are an assistant with access to Shovels "
            "(7 tools)."
        ),
    )

    result = await agent.run(
        "What tools are available in Shovels?"
    )
    print(result.data)

asyncio.run(main())

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* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure

About Shovels MCP Server

Empower your AI agent to access the most comprehensive database of construction permits and licensed contractors with Shovels. By connecting Shovels to your agent, you transform complex real estate and construction auditing into a natural conversation. Your agent can instantly search for active permits, audit contractor history, and retrieve market statistics for specific geographic areas without you ever touching a dashboard. Whether you are analyzing market trends or verifying contractor credentials, your agent acts as a real-time construction data analyst, ensuring your insights are always structured and up-to-date.

Pydantic AI validates every Shovels tool response against typed schemas, catching data inconsistencies at build time. Connect 7 tools through Vinkius and switch between OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini without changing your integration code. full type safety, structured output guarantees, and dependency injection for testable agents.

What you can do

Contractor Discovery — Find licensed professionals based on location, work type (solar, roofing, etc.), and property type.
Permit Auditing — Search for and inspect detailed building permit records, including status and estimated values.
Activity Tracking — Identify contractors actively working within a specific radius of any address.
Market Intelligence — Retrieve aggregated permit statistics to analyze construction trends in different cities or counties.
License Verification — Instantly pull contractor profiles using their state business license IDs.

The Shovels MCP Server exposes 7 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Pydantic AI in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect Shovels to Pydantic AI via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the Shovels MCP Server with Pydantic AI.

Install Pydantic AI

Run pip install pydantic-ai

Replace the token

Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your Vinkius token

Run the agent

Save to agent.py and run: python agent.py

Explore tools

The agent discovers 7 tools from Shovels with type-safe schemas

Why Use Pydantic AI with the Shovels MCP Server

Pydantic AI provides unique advantages when paired with Shovels through the Model Context Protocol.

Full type safety: every MCP tool response is validated against Pydantic models, catching data inconsistencies before they reach your application

Model-agnostic architecture. switch between OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini without changing your Shovels integration code

Structured output guarantee: Pydantic AI ensures tool results conform to defined schemas, eliminating runtime type errors

Dependency injection system cleanly separates your Shovels connection logic from agent behavior for testable, maintainable code

Shovels + Pydantic AI Use Cases

Practical scenarios where Pydantic AI combined with the Shovels MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Type-safe data pipelines: query Shovels with guaranteed response schemas, feeding validated data into downstream processing

API orchestration: chain multiple Shovels tool calls with Pydantic validation at each step to ensure data integrity end-to-end

Production monitoring: build validated alert agents that query Shovels and output structured, schema-compliant notifications

Testing and QA: use Pydantic AI's dependency injection to mock Shovels responses and write comprehensive agent tests

Shovels MCP Tools for Pydantic AI (7)

These 7 tools become available when you connect Shovels to Pydantic AI via MCP:

get_contractor

Get contractor details

get_contractor_activity

Find contractors active at an address

get_contractor_by_license

Find contractor by license ID

get_permit

Get permit details

get_permit_stats

Get permit activity statistics

search_contractors

Search for licensed contractors

search_permits

Search for building permits

Example Prompts for Shovels in Pydantic AI

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Pydantic AI agent to start working with Shovels immediately.

"Search for roofing contractors in ZIP 94105."

"Show me permit stats for Austin, TX."

"Find contractors active near 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View."

Troubleshooting Shovels MCP Server with Pydantic AI

Common issues when connecting Shovels to Pydantic AI through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCPServerHTTP not found

Update: pip install --upgrade pydantic-ai

Shovels + Pydantic AI FAQ

Common questions about integrating Shovels MCP Server with Pydantic AI.

How does Pydantic AI discover MCP tools?

Create an MCPServerHTTP instance with the server URL. Pydantic AI connects, discovers all tools, and generates typed Python interfaces automatically.

Does Pydantic AI validate MCP tool responses?

Yes. When you define result types as Pydantic models, every tool response is validated against the schema. Invalid data raises a clear error instead of silently corrupting your pipeline.

Can I switch LLM providers without changing MCP code?

Absolutely. Pydantic AI abstracts the model layer. your Shovels MCP integration works identically with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or any supported provider.